Tongs support



March 17, 1925.

J. A. BAKER TONGS SUPPORT Filed May 5, 1925 [live/liar Patented Mar. 17,1925.

UNITED. STATES PATENT =OFFICE.

JOHN A. BAKER, 01 L08 ANG-ELEQ CALIFORNIA.

Tones surron'r.

Application filed May a, 1923. Serial No. 638,428.

and Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 .To all whom it mayconcern:

for suspending tools during their applica tion to work and during theiroperation on the work.

The construction and advantageous fea-- 'tures of my device may be 'bestexplainedby describing an application thereof to a typical tool. As wellcasing and rotary tool joint tongs are customarily suspended duringapphcation ,and operation, I will describe my device as applied to suchtools. However, following ecific'" references to tongs as the suspendetool are not to be construed as limiting the application of my devicethereto.

Casing tongs are of considerable bulk and weight and in order that theymay be manipulated with the requisite speed and ease, are ordinarilycounter-balanced, the counter-balancing weight being connected by achain'or cable to a suspension device mounted on the tongs. The usualsuspension device is of the three point type, that is, it consists ofthree separate suspension members attached -to the tong handle andjoined to a single cable ring in a manner to balance the tongs in asubstantially horiz'ontal plane.

It is one of my objects to provide a suspension device provided withswivel tool connections allowing movement of the tool about itslongitudinal axis whereby it may adjust itself to canted work withoutimposing a twisting and breaking strain on the tong jaws.

I have further provided a two-joint suspension device wherein thesupporting structure may be rigid, the suspension mem- .in the followingspecification, reference being made the rein to the accompanyingdrawings, in which v p Fig. 1 is a side elevation of pipe tongs equippedwith my device,-the sw1vel connections being shown in section; Fig. 2'.

isa vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated pipe tongs 9', indicating the handle orlever thereof at 10, the jaws at 11, and the usual eye at 15. The tongs9 are shown applied to work i the form of a vertically extending pipleW. J

he suspension members of my device arejndicated at 13 and 14 andcomprise a single rod bent in the form of a yoke and looped at 15 toform an eye or ring for the convenient attaghment of a supporttinglchainor cable 1 It will be noted that member 13: extends ap roximately invertical alignment with t e supporting chain 16 and carries the majorportidn of the weight of tongs9, while the ofiset su porting member, 14supports a lesser weig t and serves to longitudinally balance the tongs.'Member 1A is bent to stretch 17 extending in substantlally parallelrelation to member 13. v

The be'aring'members or disks 18 and 19 of the swivel joints 20 and 21,respectively, are provided with polygonal apertures 22 and 23,respectively, whereby they may be non-rotatively supported on handle 10,and,

are preferably made up of separable halves clamped together in grippingrelation on the handle by means of bolts 24: which pass through opposedears or lugs 25. Disks 18 and 19 are provided with peripheral grooves 26and 27, respectively, adapted to:. receive the internal annular flanges28 and 29 pro vided on wivel straps or collars 30, and 31,.

respective y, which latter encircle the disks in a manner to render themcapable of axial rotation. Collars 30 and 31 are provided with intern lythreaded sockets 32 and 33,

respectively adapted to receive the threaded extremities f rods 13 and14, respectively.

Members 13 andl are relatively arranged and so proportioned in length asto carry disks 18 and 19, and hence swivel jolnts 20 and21, in axialalignment.

provide a- Collars 30 and 31 are preferably halved as indicaltpd inFigs. 2 and 3 to allow them to be re ovably mounted on their respectivedisks, bolts 35 passing through opppsed, a ves.-,

ears 34 being adapted to join the The co-action between. grooves 26, 27and flanges28, 29, respectively, pi'events lateral disp acement of thecollars 30, 31 from their respective disks.

It will readily beseen that should the work W be canted in a I verticalplane perpendicular to the axis of rod bent to form a yoke, an eyeformed in the tongs 9, swivel joints 20 and 21 allowj said rodfor'receiving a supporting cable,

and axially aligned swivel joints carried by invention, I claim:

axial movement on the part of the tongs, hence maintainin the axis ofthe apertures of jaws 11 coinci ent with the axis of work W, and thuseliminating all twisting strain on the ton jaws.

It is o vious that, various structural chan es may be made in the deviceas illustrate without departing from the spirit of my invention. Forinstance, disks 18 and 19 may be formed integral with the tongs handleor be. formed by turning down portions of the handle to provide acylindrical bearing surface thereon. Again, disks 18 and'19 need not behalved but may each be formed of a single piece suitably apertured" tobeslipped into position on the handle from one end thereof. ,Various meansmay also be utilized for preventin lateral displacement between thecollars an disk elements of the swivel joint. Therefore I do not wish tobe limited to the embodiment of my invention as disclosed in theaccompanymg drawings except for such limitations, as a fairinterpretation of the appended claims may import.'

' Having described a preferred form of my .1. A tool suspending devicecomprising a yoke, axially a igned swiveljoints carried y the arms of te yoke and adapted to be connected to the tool in a manner to render thetool ca able of axial 'rotation.

2. A too suspending device comprising a suspension rod, a swivel jointon said rod adapted to be connected to the tool in a manner to renderthe tool capable of axial rotation, and a balancing member extendingaligned whereby ancmg member from-said rod and adapted to. be swivellyconnected to said tool at a point spaced apart from the first adapted tobe connected to said tool at a point spaced apart from the firstmentioned swivel oint, said swivel-joints being axially the tool iscapable of axial i i 1 i d a A i too suspen ing evice comprising abearing member, adapted axial alignment with the tool', and a supportingstrap carried by said rod and adapted to encircle said bearing memberin' a-manner to render said bearing member capable of axial rotation.

'5. A toolsus nding device comprising a tak ia y 'gned swivel jointscarried y the'arms of the yoke, and tool connecting f neans provided onsaid joints.

' 6, tool suspending device comprising a the extremities of the rod andadapted to be connected to the tool.

7. A two point suspension device for- 8. A tool suspending devicecomprising a rod, means for suspen ng the rod, a swivel joint on saidrod adapted to be connected to the tool in a manner to render the toolcapable of axial rotation, and a balancing member attached at one end tosaid sus ension means and attached at its other en tool at a pointspaced apart from said swivel joint connection. I

-9. A tool suspendin device comprising a rod, means for sus en ing therod, a swivel joint on said rod a apted to be connected to the tool in amanner to render the tool ca able of axial rotation, a balancin mem erattached at one end to said suspenslon means, and a swivel jointconnection between the othler end of the balancing member and said too i10. A tool suspendin device comprising a rod, means for suspen ing therod, a swivel joint on said rod adapted to be connected to the tool ina-manner to render the tool ca able of axial rotation, a balancing memer attached at one end of sai sus ension means, and a swivel 'ointbonnect onv between the other end of t e balancing member ,and saidtool, said swivel joints bemg in axial alignment.

11. A tool suspending device comprising a zgslpgnsion rod, a bearingmember adapted connected in axialalignment with the tool, asupportingtstrap carried by said rod and adapted to, encircle saidbearing member in amanner tojrender said bearin member capable of axialrotation, and coactmg means on said bearing member and strap adapted toprevent their relative displacement.

a suspension rod, a bearm member adapted to be. connected in axial a'gnment with the tool, a supporting strap carried by sald rod andadapted to'encircle said bearing member 14.111 a tool suspending devicethat in- 12. A tool suspending device comprising to the cludes asuspension memberand a supporting collar carried thereby,' a multiparthearing member rotatably mounted in said supporting collar, said bearingmember comprising a disk made up of a plurality of segments which arecomplementarily apertured to take the handle, and means for clamping thesegments together.

15. In a, tool suspendingv devicethat includes a suspension member and asupporting collar carried thereby, a multipart bearing member rotatablymounted in said supporting collar, said bearing member comprising a diskmade up of a plurality of segments which are complementarily aperturedto take the handle, means for clamping the segments together, andcoacting means on the segments and collar adapted to prevent theirrelative displacement. v

'In witness that I claim the foregoing 71 have hereunto subscribed myname this 19th day of April 1923.

JOHN A. BAKER.

